Green star polyps

[eric1283]

My gsp has been closed for 2 days now what could cause that

 

[snupa]

How long ago did you get them? We're they fully extended before? What are your water parameters: ph, salinity, nitrate , ite, phosphate, calcium? Do you have any measurements (most recent) when they were extended and now? Please post all this.

My guess is a change in parameters that could have out stress on the polyps so they are not expanded. Have you done. Water change in the past few days? Any temperature fluctuations? Changes in the waterflow?

 

[eric1283]

Ph is 8.2 sg 1.025 don't have a phosphate test kit but ammonia and nitrite are at 0 and nitrate is 20ppm I did change a few things I took out my bioballs and added a mangrove to my refugium to lower nitrates they were at about 40ppm before I made changes oh and calcium is at about 440ppm

 

[TigeBell]

Did you remove all the bioballs at once? If so, you changed the chemistry of the tank to fast. $.02

 

[eric1283]

Well I started by removing filter pads then a week later I removed the bioballs but there were no spikes in ammonia or nitrite I tested 2 times daily after they were removed

 

[kallan]

Maybe you have a fish that has a taste for these flourescent greenies. My scopas tang likes to constantly graze my gsp. Thankfully, I have two nice mounds on the sand. I wouldn't worry...it's almost impossible to kill these.

 

[TigeBell]

I think it was the bioballs being removed all at once. Taking them out gradually would have been less stressful on the tank IMHO.

Sounds like all the bacteria that were growing on the bioballs were removed from the chemistry of the tank when removed. The GSP liked that bacteria diversity that were growing on the bioballs.

Kallan states, there are fish that will eat the GSP. My dwarf angel does like GSP.

How many bioballs did you have in there? What size tank do you have?

 

[eric1283]

It was a stock biocube 29 the middle chamber filled with bioballs I took them out and turned the middle chamber into a refugium with a mangrove growing from the chamber out of the top of the tank

 

[RtReef]

These are hard to kill. Have you changed lighting. If you only did bio-balls and they're still wet I would add a few of them back in and give it a little while before you remove all of them.

 

[eric1283]

No they are not wet it was the day before yesterday when I removed them but I noticed some of the gsp's are starting to open but most are still closed do you think they will be OK my zoas leathers flowerpot coral and frogspawn are all open and doing good

 

[eric1283]

Is the refugium idea better than the bioballs I was able to get a mangrove off the beach they grow everywhere on south padre island that's only an hours drive from me so that worked out good

 

[jim.crunk]

They will most likely be fine. I moved a rock w/gsp a week ago & the polyps stayed closed for a cpl days. My other patch of gsp never closed.

 

[jim.crunk]

You shouldnt need bio-balls if you have enough LR.
I would be afraid of putting the mangroves in my tank unless I had it in a QT for awile to make sure they are healthy and no pests.

 

[eric1283]

It was from up on the beach and I washed it in fresh tap water nothing came off but sand so I am pretty sure it was clean

 

[eric1283]

So my gsp still hasn't opened I'm starting to worried a few polyps open up but most have been closed this is the 3rd day now any suggestions on what I can do to get them to open

 

[eric1283]

Is there anything I can add to help them

 

[TigeBell]

I think the damage has already been done. It is best to wait and see what happens.

Sorry,